, 1887-06-29

AHnu lor instance, are not earned by the
earth's revolution out of the light, but see
the sun shining at what is commonly midnight
with the same brightness as at noon, only
that he is at the former hour low down III
the sky. Even in Copenhagen, which is.
about Is degrees south of the Arctic circle,
the sun rose last week a few minutes after
8 o'clock in the morning, and did not set till
close upon 9 o'clockin the evening, and as the
twilight there lasts longer than here,
theinhabitants of Copenhagen have very little
darkness indeed at this time of year. It is
nearly the same in London, which is only a
few degrees more south.
IT we now look at the southern half of the
globe we find exactly the opposite; the partof
that hemisphere which is in the light gets
less and less as we go south, till at the Ant
artic circle we come to the part entirely IN
the dark, just as the region within the Arctic
circle is entirely in the light.
From the sun shining more directly on the
northern hemisphere at this time of the year
and from the consequent increase in the
length of the daylight there arises another
still more important consequence, namely the
increase of heat in the northern hemisphere.
The present season is the summer of
that hemisphere, and the time when the
sun reaches his farthest north is called the
Summer ~SOtSttce, solstice meaning the stand
ing still of the sun, because at that time he
ceases to advance farther north; similarly
the time when the sun reaches his farthest
south, six months hence, is called the WiMter
~S0tstice, names which originated of course III
the northern hemisphere: to the people of
the southern hemisphere the case is reversed,
they now have their Winter, six months
hence they will get their Summer. Since
VUn in santa C11y1 ORC IN tho Y1nrthnpn hnmfc.
phere, the present is our warm season also,
but, We who live comparatively near to the
equator experience very little difference. be-
tween our cool and warm seasons compared with
the difference which, is felt in northern countries.
Inthe summeritis as warm in New York asitis
here, and sometimes warmer, while in the winter
snow falls there in abundance and ice covers
the ponds and lakes. It is to be noted, now
ever, that the greatest heat of the northern
hemisphere is not reached now while the sun
Is at his farthest north, but he continues TO
warm the air and the water although now
going south, and the warmest time is in the
month of August. The effects of the increase
of the heat are many. The melting OF the
snow on the mountains and consequent food
ing of the rivers; the melting of the ice in the
Arctic seas, opening them to the bold explor-
er, who is thus able to push further and fur
Their north during August and even into Sep.
TENDER, but must then hurry southwards UNI
less he is prepared to spend a long, ,dreary
night in company with the bears and the
seals; the rapid growth Of vegetation, whether
wild in the forests and prairies or cultivated
in the fields; these may be instanced, but
there is one of still greater Importance, name-
ly the great increase in evaporation,
That the increase of heat must produce a
much greater evaporation from the surface of
the ocean is evident, and the result in our
part of the world is a gradual increase OF rain
up to the month of October, when the fall be-
comes heaviest. In nearly all the countries
of the northern hemisphere the season of
heaviest rain is towards the close of the
warm season, although in some there are
special circumstances which set aside the
rule. A striking illustration of this is found
in the case of India, where, at the present
time of the year the wind blows from the
southwest, and is called the South West
Monsoon. This wind brings an immense
amount of moisture from the Indian Ocean,
and deposits it as heavy rain on the lofty
mountains called the Western Ghauts, and,
farther on, on the slopes of the loftier Hima-
layas. The Eastern Ghauts are now dry: but
when the sun goes to the south of the equator
the wind will change, the North East Monsoon
will set in, and then the conditions will be re-
versed, the North East. Monsoon will bring
rain to the Eastern Ghauts from the Bay of
Bengal, while the west coast, which SNOW
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